baby; ruel van dijk

48 - irl

Ava's POV:

I walk through the halls sluggishly, dreading having to go home. Once I go home, i'll have to say bye to Ruel since he leaves today for his U.S. tour dates.

And i'm not excited for that.

My last class just finished so after grabbing my water bottle from my locker, I head towards the parking lot where Alex should be.

But when i'm finally outside, I don't see him in his usual spot by the car.

I frown and decide to head back inside to wait instead of staying out here in the heat. Before I can even turn around, a familiar voice calls out my name.

"Avalyn!"

I look up from the ground only to have my eyes widen. "Ruel?"

He jogs up to me with a grin on his face. "Hi."

I'm still watching him in disbelief as he leans down to kiss my cheek. "What are you doing here?"

He chuckles. "Picking you up from school, what else?"

I look around unsurely. "Someone could see you."

Ruel smiles sheepishly and grabs my hand. "That's why we need to leave, right now." I let him lead me to his car and he opens the door for me before jogging to his side.

I lean my head on the window and watch the trees pass by.

"I thought you'd be more excited to see me." He teases from the drivers seat, placing his hand on my thigh.

I just shrug, not in the mood to joke around.

Ruel goes silent for a few seconds. "What's wrong?"

I repeat my previous actions and fiddle with the plain silver band on his index finger. I feel like if I say something i'll just start crying.

God i'm so dramatic.

"Talk to me." He says softly, glancing between me and the road.

"Can't you just stay here?" I finally speak.

Ruel sighs. "Baby." His grip on the steering wheel tightens. "You know I can't."

"Why not?"

"I told you, Mark has everything planned. It's all been payed for already. Not to mention, my fans. They'd be disappointed if I cancelled it." He replies.

I watch him as he drives. "But what about me? I'll be disappointed if you go. That's like two months without you. W-What if you find someone better? What if the distance breaks us up?"

His jaw clenches. "You know this is gonna be hard for me too Ava. I'd much rather stay in Australia with you but I can't." He squeezes my thigh. "And I can promise you that there's no way i'll ever find someone better than you. It's impossible."

I wipe away the single tear that had fallen. "But it's America. Have you seen what the girls there look like?"

He raises his eyebrows. "I have, and they're nothing compared to you."

I shake my head. Not true.

"I need to be at the airport by seven. That means we have four hours to do whatever you want."

[]

I sigh in content and lean back against Ruel's chest, watching the sky as we sit on the beach. His arms around my waist tighten and he kisses the top of my head.

"I'm gonna miss you." He mumbles.

I smile slightly. "I'm gonna miss you too."

"You'll come to a couple shows right?"

"Of course."

"You'll text and call me everyday?"

"As long as you'll answer."

Ruel goes silent. "I love you."

I tense up and turn around to face him. "What'd you just say?"

He looks down at me with his cheeks tinted red. "I said I love you." He looks nervous when I don't reply. "This is usually the part where you say you love me back."

I snap out of my thoughts and lean forward to kiss him. Ruel smiles against my lips before pulling away. "I'm guessing you do?" When I nod, he brings his hands up to cup my face. "Say it." He whispers huskily.

"I love you."